1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a webbing retractor for use in a seatbelt system for protecting an occupant in an emergency of a vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Heretofore, there have been proposed a so-called automatically fastening type seatbelt system wherein a restraining webbing is automatically fastened to an occupant after he is seated so that the occupant can be reliably restrained and protected by the webbing in an emergency of the vehicle. In general, said seatbelt system is of such an arrangement that the outer end of the occupant restraining webbing is engaged with a door for entering or leaving the vehicle, and the intermediate portion of the webbing is movable forward or rearward in the vehicle in accordance with the opening or closing action of the door. Furthermore, in said seatbelt system, one end of the webbing is secured to the vehicle through an emergency locking retractor for stopping the wind-off of the webbing only in an emergency of the vehicle, so that the occupant can arbitrarily change his driving posture during normal running condition. Furthermore, said emergency locking retractor reliably stops the wind-off of the webbing in an emergency of the vehicle, whereby the occupant is restrained by the webbing so as to avoid colliding against dangerous obstacles, thus being protected safely.
However, in the seatbelt system as described above, in the case the occupant escapes from the vehicle to the outside in a stopping condition of the vehicle after a collision of the vehicle, said emergency locking retractor still remains in an operating condition preventing the webbing from being wound off from the retractor. With this arrangement, the occupant cannot unfasten the webbing from himself, and further, in the seatbelt system in which one outer end portion of the webbing is secured to the door, the webbing is made immovable, whereby the door cannot be opened, thus causing the occupant to be unable to leave the vehicle.
Furthermore, in the case a tilting sensor such as a pendulum is used as an acceleration sensor for the emergency locking sensor, if the vehicle stops on a slope inclined at a predetermined angle, such a disadvantage is presented that, despite the vehicle is not in an accelerated condition, the sensor stops the wind-off of the webbing.